Tablet supplying and packaging apparatus

ABSTRACT

A tablet supplying and packaging apparatus comprises a turntable having a center and tablet containers disposed around the center, plates corresponding to the tablet containers, each plate hingedly engaged to a tablet container portion adjacent to the container bottom opening to releasably close the bottom opening, whereby one or more tablets are either maintained in each tablet container when the bottom opening is closed by said plate or downwardly discharged when the plate is released, and a support rail having a release opening and disposed beneath the bottom openings and upholding the plates, so when one selected from the tablet containers reaches over the release opening by an angular rotation of the turntable, the plate corresponding to the selected tablet container is lowered through the release opening and the tablets in the selected tablet container are downwardly released through the release opening.

CLAIMING FOREIGN PRIORITY

[0001] The applicant claims and requests a foreign priority, through the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industry Property, based on a patent application filed in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with the filing date of Jul. 31, 2000, with the application number 10-2000-0044169, by the applicant. (See the Attached Declaration)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to a pharmaceutical automation system for packaging tablets. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tablet supplying and packaging apparatus which enables a rotational tablet supplementation in combination of an automatic tablet packaging system.

[0003] A doctor's prescription generally requires one or more kinds of tablets for a type of disease. So the more types of illnesses are included in a prescription, the more kinds of different tablets should a patient take for each dosage. The dosage may vary once per day to three or more times per day depending on seriousness and types of disease or how many different types of illnesses a patient has.

[0004] The demand for packaging different types of tablets into a tablet-packaged bag has led to development of automatic tablet packaging systems. However, a further demand for a tablet packaging system which can easily include those which are less frequent tablets, half-split tablets or quarter-split tablets.

[0005] For the solution, as shown in FIG. 7, a linear type tablet supplying and packaging system has been developed as a semi-automatic tablet packaging system. The system includes a body 101, a cover 102 over the body 101, and a plurality of tablet containers 103 linearly disposed in the cover 102. A tablet conveyer 104 is movably provided on a plate 105. Tablets are distributed in the tablet containers 103 and conveyed by the tablet conveyer 104 and dropped through a hole 105 a of the plate 105 and then through a hopper 106 into a folded portion of a packaging paper 107. The packaging paper 107 containing the tablets is continually introduced in between a pair of heaters 108 for sealing the tablets into a paper bag which is available for a unit dosage.

[0006] However, since the tablet containers and the tablet conveyer are constituted to linearly move on the plate in order to introduce the tablets into the hopper, the number of tablet packaging bags depends on the number of the linearly formed tablet containers, thereby substantially limiting the number of tablet packaging bags that can be processed at a single packaging processing.

[0007] Further, the tablet containers and conveyer are formed in a linear construction so that the conventional packaging system inevitably occupies a substantial area due to its elongated construction, thereby causing installation difficulty in size-limited drugstores.

[0008] Accordingly, there has been a strong demand on improvement of capacity and space efficiency for such a tablet packaging system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is contrived to overcome the conventional disadvantages. Therefore, an object of the invention is to realize a rotational tablet supplying system which adopts a manual tablet supply and an automatic tablet packaging mechanism.

[0010] Another object of the invention is to substantially save system installation space while improving tablet packaging capacity and system efficiency.

[0011] To achieve the above-described objects, the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus according to the present invention comprises a turntable, a plurality of plates, and a support rail. The turntable includes a center and a plurality of tablet containers disposed around the center. Each tablet container is defined by side walls, a top opening and a bottom opening.

[0012] The plurality of plates correspond to the plurality of tablet containers. Each of the plates is hingedly engaged to a tablet container portion adjacent to the bottom opening of each tablet container to releasably close the bottom opening of each tablet container. As a result, one or more tablets serving as a tablet batch for a unit dosage are either maintained in said each tablet container when the bottom opening is closed by said plate or downwardly discharged when said plate is released.

[0013] The support rail has a release opening and is disposed beneath the bottom openings of the tablet containers to uphold the plates. So when one selected from the tablet containers reaches over the release opening in accordance with an angular rotation of the turntable, the plate corresponding to the selected tablet container is lowered through the release opening so that the tablets in the selected tablet container are downwardly released through the release opening.

[0014] The apparatus further includes a vertical shaft fixed to the center of the turntable to center the turntable, a first motor engaged to the vertical shaft to generate a force for the angular rotation of the turntable, a packaging assembly disposed below the release opening for packaging the tablets from the tablet containers, an operation control connected to the motor and the packaging assembly, a hopper disposed between the release opening and the packaging assembly to guide the tablets to the packaging assembly, and a second motor disposed adjacent to the packaging assembly to drive the packaging assembly. The vertical shaft allows the turntable to spin around the vertical shaft to make the angular rotation of the turntable in accordance with the operation control. The angular rotation of the turntable may be either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

[0015] The packaging assembly comprises a heater to seal said tablet batch from the selected tablet container into a tablet-packaged bag using a packaging paper, and a printer provided adjacent to the heater to print a prescription information on the packaging paper.

[0016] The apparatus further comprises a sensor connected to the operation control for sensing the angular rotation of the turntable in accordance with the operation control to allow the tablets to be regularly discharged from the tablet containers through the release opening into the packaging assembly. Each tablet container has a sensing member disposed adjacent thereto to enable the sensor to detect the angular rotation of the in accordance with the operation control. The sensing member may be preferably magnetized.

[0017] For a better performance, the turntable further comprises a disk provided between the turntable center and the tablet containers. The disk serves to identify each container of the tablet containers and is rotatable either separately from the turntable or engagedly to the turntable so that the disk can be set to visually indicate a first tablet batch and a last tablet batch of the tablet containers. The disk may includes a numbering system so that the operation control can dictate the angular rotation of the turntable based on the numbering system.

[0018] The advantages of the present invention are numerous. First, the rotational tablet supplying mechanism realized by the turntable and the support rail therebelow reliably combines a manual tablet distribution into the tablet containers with an automated tablet conveying and dropping into the heater assembly for the tablet packaging, thereby substantially improving efficiency of prescription drug packaging.

[0019] Second, the simplified construction of the turntable with each of the plates engagedly connected to a tablet container portion significantly decreases the overall size of the system while increasing prescription coverage capacity up to a minimum 30 dosages, thereby enhancing product reliability.

[0020] Third, the numbering system implemented on the disk of the turntable further facilitates the manual tablet distribution in the tablet containers with accuracy, thereby maximizing efficiency of the tablet supplying and packaging mechanism.

[0021] Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0023]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a tablet supplying and packaging apparatus according to the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of FIG. 1;

[0025]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 for detailing a tablet dropping mechanism according to the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus of the present invention;

[0026]FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a power transmitting mechanism for the packaging assembly according to the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus of the present invention;

[0027]FIG. 5 is a partial side view of the packaging assembly according to the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus of the present invention;

[0028]FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an operation control mechanism according to the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus of the present invention; and

[0029]FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a conventional tablet supplying and packaging apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a tablet supplying and packaging apparatus 10 according to the present invention comprises a turntable 12 in round formation, a plurality of plates 14 flexibly connected to the turntable 12, and a support rail 16 flexibly supporting the turntable 12. The turntable 12 includes a center 18 and a plurality of tablet containers 20 disposed around the center 18. As further shown in FIG. 3, each tablet container 20 is defined by side walls 22, a top opening 24 and a bottom opening 26. The bottom opening 26 is selectively covered by the plate 14 which is swingably connected by a hinge 27 to the tablet container 20.

[0031] The plurality of plates 14 correspond to the plurality of tablet containers 20 in number. Each of the plates 14 is hingedly engaged to a tablet container portion 28 adjacent to the bottom opening 26 of each tablet container 20 to releasably close the bottom opening 26 of each tablet container 20. As a result, one or more tablets 29 serving as a tablet batch for a unit dosage are either maintained in each tablet container 20 when the bottom opening 26 is closed by the plate 14 or downwardly discharged when the plate 14 is released.

[0032] The support rail 16 is disposed beneath the bottom openings 26 of the tablet containers 20 in circular formation to uphold the plates 14. The support rail 16 has a release opening 30 formed either by a partial displacement or by a partial removal of the support rail 16. So when one selected from the tablet containers 20 reaches over the release opening 30 in accordance with an angular rotation of the turntable 12, the plate 14 corresponding to the selected tablet container 20 is lowered through the release opening 30 so that the tablets 29 in the selected tablet container 20 are downwardly released through the release opening 30.

[0033] In a preferred version, the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus 10 further includes a vertical shaft 32 fixed to the center 18 of the turntable 12 to center the turntable 12, a first motor 34 engaged via a pinion rack gear 35 to the vertical shaft 32 to generate a force for the angular rotation of the turntable 12, a packaging assembly 36 disposed below the release opening 30 for packaging the tablets 29 from the tablet containers 20, and an operation control 38 connected to the first motor 34 and the packaging assembly 36. Selectively, a hopper 40 may be disposed between the release opening 30 and the packaging assembly 36 to guide the tablets 29 to the packaging assembly 36.

[0034] The vertical shaft 32 allows the turntable 12 to spin around the vertical shaft 32 to make the angular rotation of the turntable 12 in accordance with the operation control 38. Here, the angular rotation of the turntable 12 may be either clockwise or counter-clockwise. When the angular rotation is set clockwise, each plate 14 is hinged to the left thereof. In a similar manner, when the angular rotation is set counter-clockwise, each plate 14 is hinged to the right thereof.

[0035] The packaging assembly 36 for packaging tablets 29 from each container 20 comprises a heater 44 to seal the tablet batch 29 from the selected tablet container 20 into a tablet-packaged bag 46 using a packaging paper 48, and a printer 50 provided adjacent to the heater 44 to print a prescription information on the packaging paper 48.

[0036] The tablet supplying and packaging apparatus 10 further comprises a sensor 52 connected to the operation control 38 for sensing the angular rotation of the turntable 12 in accordance with the operation control 38 to allow the tablets 29 to be regularly discharged from the tablet containers 20 through the release opening 30 into the packaging assembly 36. Each tablet container 20 has a sensing member 54 disposed adjacent thereto to enable the sensor 52 to detect the angular rotation of the turntable 12 in accordance with the operation control 38. The sensing member 54 may be preferably magnetized.

[0037]FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively show a gear mechanism for a separate driving of the packaging assembly 36 from the first motor 34, wherein a second motor 42 may be disposed adjacent to the packaging assembly 36 to drive the packaging assembly 36. FIG. 6 shows a schematic control mechanism of the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus. Reference numeral 49 in FIG. 3 denotes a packaging paper sensor, numeral 43 in FIG. 4 denotes a magnetic sensor, and numeral 37 in FIG. 6 denotes an input.

[0038] In an embodiment, the turntable 12 further comprises a disk 56 provided between the turntable center 18 and the tablet containers 20. The disk 56 may be rotatably supported by the vertical shaft 32 and a shaft cap 57. The shaft cap 57 stabilizes the turntable 12 and the disk 56. The disk 56 serves to identify each container 20 of the tablet containers 20. The disk 56 is formed rotatable either separately from the turntable 12 or engagedly to the turntable 12 so that the disk 56 can be set to visually indicate a first tablet batch and a last tablet batch of the tablet containers 20. The disk 56 may include a numbering system 58 so that the operation control 38 can dictate the angular rotation of the turntable 12 based on the numbering system 58.

[0039] The operation of the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus will now be described on the basis of an example. Suppose thirty (30) tablet containers 20 are formed around the turntable center 18. Then number tags of one (1) to thirty (30) are sequentially applied along the peripheral margin 60 of the disk 56 to visually indicate corresponding tablet containers 20. If twelve tablet batches for a patient's twelve dosages are selected according to a doctor's prescription, twelve tablet containers are manually filled with required tablets through the operation control 38. The container for the first batch of the twelve will be one over the release opening and the disk will be manually turned or adjusted so that the number one (1) tag can be placed indicating the first batch container. Here, the last batch will be 12^(th) from the first batch and accordingly indicated by the number twelve (12) tag. When twelve is input through the operation control, the tablets filled in the twelve containers from the first batch to the last batch will be sequentially dropped by a self-weight lowering of the plate through the release opening into the packaging assembly in accordance with the angular rotation of the turntable. When the tablet supplying operation is completed, the disk can be manually turned or adjusted so the number one (1) tag can be locating the container over the release opening.

[0040] As discussed above, the tablet supplying and packaging apparatus according to the present invention realizes an optimized combination of a semi-automatic tablet supplying mechanism and an automatic tablet packaging mechanism. An advantage of the present invention is that the rotational tablet supplying mechanism realized by the turntable and the support rail therebelow reliably combines a manual tablet distribution into the tablet containers with an automated tablet conveying and dropping into the heater assembly for the tablet packaging, thereby substantially improving efficiency of prescription drug packaging.

[0041] Further, the simplified construction of the turntable with each of the plates engagedly connected to a tablet container portion significantly decreases the overall size of the system while increasing prescription coverage capacity up to a minimum 30 dosages, thereby enhancing product reliability.

[0042] Still further, the numbering system implemented on the disk of the turntable further facilitates the manual tablet distribution in the tablet containers with accuracy, thereby maximizing efficiency of the tablet supplying and packaging mechanism.

[0043] Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible by converting the aforementioned construction. Therefore, the scope of the invention shall not be limited by the specification specified above and the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A tablet supplying and packaging apparatus, comprising: a) a turntable having a center and a plurality of tablet containers disposed around the center, wherein said each tablet container is defined by side walls, a top opening and a bottom opening; b) a plurality of plates corresponding to the plurality of tablet containers, wherein said each plate is hingedly engaged to a tablet container portion adjacent to the bottom opening of said each tablet container to releasably close the bottom opening of said each tablet container, whereby one or more tablets serving as a tablet batch for a unit dosage are either maintained in said each tablet container when the bottom opening is closed by said plate or downwardly discharged when said plate is released; c) a support rail having a release opening, wherein the support rail is disposed beneath the bottom openings of the tablet containers and upholding the plates, and wherein when one selected from the tablet containers reaches over the release opening in accordance with an angular rotation of the turntable, the plate corresponding to the selected tablet container is lowered through the release opening so that the tablets in the selected tablet container are downwardly released through the release opening; d) a vertical shaft fixed to the center of the turntable to center the turntable; e) a first motor engaged to the vertical shaft to generate a force for the angular rotation of the turntable; f) a packaging assembly disposed below the release opening for packaging the tablets from the tablet containers; and g) an operation control connected to the motor and the packaging assembly.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a) a hopper disposed between the release opening and the packaging assembly to guide the tablets to the packaging assembly; and b) a second motor disposed adjacent to the packaging assembly to drive the packaging assembly.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the packaging assembly comprises: a) a heater to seal said tablet batch from the selected tablet container into a tablet-packaged bag using a packaging paper; and b) a printer provided adjacent to the heater to print a prescription information on the packaging paper.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a sensor connected to the operation control for sensing the angular rotation of the turntable in accordance with the operation control to allow the tablets to be regularly discharged from the tablet containers through the release opening into the packaging assembly.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said each tablet container has a sensing member disposed adjacent thereto to enable the sensor to detect the angular rotation of the in accordance with the operation control.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the sensing member is magnetized.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the vertical shaft allows the turntable to spin around the vertical shaft to make the angular rotation of the turntable in accordance with the operation control.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the angular rotation of the turntable is clockwise.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the angular rotation of the turntable is counter-clockwise.
 10. A tablet supplying and packaging apparatus, comprising: a) a turntable having a center, a plurality of tablet containers disposed around the center, and a disk provided between the turntable center and the tablet containers, wherein the disk serves to identify each container of the tablet containers, wherein said each tablet container is defined by side walls, a top opening and a bottom opening; b) a plurality of plates corresponding to the plurality of tablet containers, wherein said each plate is hingedly engaged to a tablet container portion adjacent to the bottom opening of said each tablet container to releasably close the bottom opening of said each tablet container, whereby one or more tablets serving as a tablet batch for a unit dosage are either maintained in said each tablet container when the bottom opening is closed by said plate or downwardly discharged when said plate is released; c) a support rail having a release opening, wherein the support rail is disposed beneath the bottom openings of the tablet containers and upholding the plates, and wherein when one selected from the tablet containers reaches over the release opening in accordance with an angular rotation of the turntable, the plate corresponding to the selected tablet container is lowered through the release opening so that the tablets in the selected tablet container are downwardly released through the release opening; d) a vertical shaft fixed to the center of the turntable to center the turntable; e) a first motor engaged to the vertical shaft to generate a force for the angular rotation of the turntable; f) a packaging assembly disposed below the release opening for packaging the tablets from the tablet containers; and g) an operation control connected to the motor and the packaging assembly.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising: a) a hopper disposed between the release opening and the packaging assembly to guide the tablets to the packaging assembly; and b) a second motor disposed adjacent to the packaging assembly to drive the packaging assembly.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the packaging assembly comprises: a) a heater to seal said tablet batch from the selected tablet container into a tablet-packaged bag using a packaging paper; and b) a printer provided adjacent to the heater to print a prescription information on the packaging paper.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a sensor connected to the operation control for sensing the angular rotation of the turntable in accordance with the operation control to allow the tablets to be regularly discharged from the tablet containers through the release opening into the packaging assembly.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said each tablet container has a sensing member disposed adjacent thereto to enable the sensor to detect the angular rotation of the in accordance with the operation control.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the sensing member is magnetized.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the vertical shaft allows the turntable to spin around the vertical shaft to make the angular rotation of the turntable in accordance with the operation control.
 17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the angular rotation of the turntable is clockwise.
 18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the angular rotation of the turntable is counter-clockwise.
 19. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the disk of the turntable is rotatable either separately from the turntable or engagedly to the turntable, whereby the disk can be set to visually indicate a first tablet batch and a last tablet batch of the tablet containers.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the disk has a numbering system, wherein the operation control can dictate the angular rotation of the turntable based on the numbering system. 